"Good question." Aria looked up. "If there is a secret passage, we need to consider what the club gains from it. For that answer, those female students who reported the incident might have our clues." "Them?" Someone asked. They were confused and struggling to follow her logic. What connection could there be between secret passages and those college students? Aria did not rush to explain, as her theory still needed evidence. "How's the investigation into those young women's relationships and financial situations going?" Aria turned to the crucial point. Claire responded diligently, "We have results. They're all in significant debt." After reporting this, Claire wondered aloud, "How did you know to check their finances?" Did the Special Missions Unit have some kind of foresight? "Remember how I saw one of their phones?" Aria smiled lightly. Claire frowned. "But that wouldn't show their finances." "Cosmetic procedures aren't cheap, and they've all had work done. Yes, it
Aria glanced back. "There's no need to trouble the tech team then. Let them handle the backups. I'll take care of the chat records." Everyone present was speechless. Were new expert investigators all this versatile now? Claire stood silently nearby, picking up the files Aria had left on the table. She noticed some notes written on the paper just from those brief minutes earlier. When Claire saw what was written, her eyes widened. She knew Special Missions Unit members were extraordinary, but seeing it firsthand was different. Aria had seemed to browse this huge pile of files so casually, yet she had memorized everything and found clear leads. She had heard of geniuses who could find patterns between individuals in an extremely short time. The Special Missions Unit clearly was not for ordinary people. Claire's eyes returned to the files, where "accomplice" stood out starkly, with "business?" noted beside it. "Claire, are we really letting her recover chat records? I've never
However, there was a noticeable pattern. She only followed women who looked innocent and below 23 years old. As for the rest, she would reject them and wouldn't even bother recommending them. Aria was familiar with the internet, so she understood each application's promotional strategies. They would capture the user's interest and leverage data for targeted notifications. In particular, many people trusted Instagram, which was a helpful application for promoting products.However, many posts were crafted to attract people's attention. For example, there were captions like, "I'm earning six figures in my 20s after writing novels for nine years! Offering mentorship for 599 dollars." The caption would be followed by a bunch of royalty screenshots.Many people would be envious and shocked, including some housewives and college students who would be tempted to try. However, they would only realize they could only make a few dollars a month after paying for the useless mentorship and
A continued texting, "You're right. They won't suspect us, anyway. It has nothing to do with us. Even if she reported it to the police, someone would take care of it. Cases like this are difficult to solve. "How can she prove she was forced? She even dreamed about marrying a rich guy. Anyway, we should quickly delete this conversation. Now that Luna has been chosen, we should choose another target."The conversation was also synced on the display screen, causing the police officers to feel a chill down their backs. The young women sitting behind the glass were still college students. Yet, they had been targeting people online and bringing them to bars.The police officers clenched their hands when faced with the four young faces. They weren't people who helped out their juniors but demons!Aria didn't feel surprised at the revelation. What she was doing now was proving some of her suspicions. She already felt something off when she saw them downstairs.However, she needed evide
Haisley, who had just gotten exposed, became pale. She wanted to stand up from the interrogation chair. "What right do you have to investigate my privacy?"Aria said slowly, "Haisley, why don't you look around to see where you are before slamming on the table? You're a suspect. Who else are we going to investigate?"Haisley sneered. "I'm a suspect? When did I become a suspect? You guys are just useless. Otherwise, go ahead and capture those behind the scenes! Why are you arresting me for? You're just trying to shift the blame on me. "Luna likes to jump off buildings. What does it have to do with me? I'm telling you not to accuse me without evidence!""Do I need to remind you of your image of a gentle and considerate senior in college?" Aria said flatly. The police officers watching outside thought Haisley was beyond help. Haisley took a deep breath. "I'm just working as a facilitator. I doubt it's illegal. How can you slander me without evidence? Is that how you guys do your w
Technically, Aria's interrogation method wasn't standard protocol. However, her method managed to expose Haisley's true colors. "It's true that I was envious of her. So what? She acts so arrogantly despite coming from a small town like me. "I don't get it. I'm prettier than her and wear all kinds of branded clothing. Why am I still inferior to her? She just looks a bit more innocent than me, but she also admitted she wanted to find a rich boyfriend."Haisley sneered. "You're interrogating me, so you might as well ask around. Most people who go to the bar are looking for a rich boyfriend. If Luna didn't have the same intention, she wouldn't have followed us."Everyone knows there's no such thing as free lunch. However, people are greedy. They'll get baited if you give them a bit of temptation. "Luna is no different. She dreamed about marrying a rich boyfriend. If she woke up and she found herself sleeping beside Sky, I bet she wouldn't take her life."Aria was looking for that
Aria asked calmly, "Who did you see?""A person who was on the news before." Haisley seemed uneasy and asked again, "Are you sure this is confidential?"Aria glanced at the audio recording and disrupted it with a click. "You can talk now. Who did you see?"Haisley clenched her hands. "One was Xavier Larkspur from the local trading association, and another one was from the Chamber of Commerce…"None of the police officers could hear what she was saying. One of the investigators removed his buzzing headphones and barged into the dark with a gloomy expression. "This goes against the rules!"Aria was unfazed. "According to the rules, you guys should be leading the investigation yourself. From Nocturne's business practices or the incidents that happened there, you guys should have investigated it before. Why didn't you?"The investigator was rendered speechless. Some of them argued, "This just happened! And it's never happened before!"Aria stood up. "Perhaps you guys just found out
Haisley continued, "If I go to jail, nobody will care for him when he's old. He'll be laughed at by all his relatives! I really hate pompous people like you who want to teach others a lesson. You're not doing a good deed. You're only making the old geezer even worse off!"Aria spaced out and started looking for the two names she had mentioned. "Are you done talking?" she asked, looking up.Haisley was stunned by her attitude.Aria tapped her temples coolly. "I don't understand people like you. I don't care whether your father is doing well. He's not my father."He spoiled you when raising you. If he chooses to ignore your crimes, he deserves to live a bad life. We're locking you up to do the world a favor. Wake up, princess. We're not obligated to spoil you like your dad."Haisley's expression was grim, while the police officers seemed pleased. Although they were professional at their work, they wished to retort when faced with people like Haisley. Youngsters nowadays would le
Aliya squinted at the unmasked man beside Aria. Now that his face was fully visible, something about him sparked a flicker of recognition. She lowered her gaze, trying to recall where she'd seen him before.Then a sharp gasp cut through the air."He's from the York family… Janovin's York family! Wait—was he Mr. Crow? Were they working together the whole time?"Even though they were all wealthy people, they weren't in the same ranks. No one dared to mess with the York family at all.If the circumstances were different, the arrogant, wealthy people from earlier would've tried to exchange contacts with Landon. That way, they could've partnered up in the future. However, with what had happened that day, those people were in a daze.Meanwhile, Aria knew those people still had no idea what was going on. So, she just removed her disguise and showed them who she really was.Aliya was stunned by what Aria had done. When she saw who the latter truly was, her gaze was filled with jealousy.
The wealthy clients that were left behind at the auction had connections to powerful people, and Dave didn't think Aria was capable enough to deal with every one of them. Although Farshya was well-developed, it had always been a country that focused on connections.Power meant everything, and Dave wanted to see how Aria and her team would deal with his guests. If he remembered correctly, Aliya was the daughter of a great leader in the state. She wanted a womb from a young lady because she wanted to have children.Before the clients got what they wanted, Aria had offended a lot of big shots. Dave thought about it for a second and hoped Aria would suffer as much as he did.Dave was right about one thing. Aliya wasn't anxious at all when someone infiltrated the auction and took control of the event. She was only stunned for a moment at first. Once everything had settled down, she calmed down and even looked a little proud."I suggest you talk to your leader first before deciding to cu
Dave had escaped, but just barely.He'd saved his life, nothing more. The documents he needed to destroy were still intact. Everything had gone completely off script.Every exit had been sealed. If he hadn't killed a villager and disguised himself with a spell, he would've died at the auction. He didn't receive any news about the ambush and was caught entirely off guard.He wasn't in Janovin, and security was that tight there. With his connections, he could've found out what was going to happen in advance. However, that wasn't the case at all.Slipping into a grimy back alley, Dave cursed his luck. Most of his men had been rounded up in the village. He could only hope a few had managed to slip through. But with sirens wailing in the distance, he knew hope was thin."Who the hell was that?" he muttered, wiping dirt off his face with a shaking hand. Normally a stickler for cleanliness, Dave was too rattled to care. "And where's the real Eden?"His mind snapped into action. The scho
Landon's sudden appearance wasn't just a coincidence. With Aria's intelligence, she would figure something out soon—he knew that. He hadn't planned on revealing himself like this. But something that belonged to him was here, and the demonic energy in this place… Aria couldn't face it alone.She studied him from head to toe, her hand still in his. His grip was firm, protective."There's a lot of mist ahead," he said quietly. "We'll need to tread carefully."Aria tilted her head. "You speak like you know this place well.""I do," Landon replied with a calm honesty. "I was deathly ill once. My soul wandered into a place just like this. Homer pulled me back."His voice made it sound like a distant memory, and Aria gave a soft laugh, tightening her hold on his hand. "You really are full of surprises. I guess it's true—handsome men are the most dangerous."But Aria's thoughts were racing. Why had he come after her like this, knowing it would reveal parts of himself he'd tried to keep h
Landon was still handling the stragglers behind Aria when he paused, his gaze flicking upward. Cameras were mounted in every corner—too many eyes. Vanishing without a trace wasn't an option.He glanced in Aria's direction, then lowered his head. His lips moved in a whisper, but the sounds were incomprehensible—something rhythmic, otherworldly. It was less like a speech and more like a chant—an exorcism.Meanwhile, Dave descended into the underground, calm and unrushed. That place reeked of foul energy, dense and suffocating. His master had cast a spell over it—one designed to kill anyone who dared to enter, no matter their strength. Dave wasn't afraid. He had more pressing priorities—destroying documents, erasing traces, minimizing damage.His bodyguard stayed close, watching for anyone who might try to stop them.Aria, moving swiftly, reached the lower floor—only to halt. Mist curled along the ground, thickening with every step. The air turned icy. And the corridor behind her…
"Why would there be people outside?" asked Dave. He had been disguising himself as a doctor for years, and that was the first time he looked so anxious. After all, if someone did approach their building, the villagers would have informed them about it. However, they received no news this time.Dave wondered what was going on."Dr. Dave, what should we do now? I think we're surrounded!"He was still in his coat as he slightly clenched his fists. "Let's move out. Bring the girls in the basement with us.""T-They're not in the basement."When Dave heard that, he looked furious. "What do you mean they're not in the basement?""Someone took them away, and I'm guessing it was her fault!" The bodyguard pointed at Aria, who was standing on the highest point, showing off her skills. With swift, lethal kicks and a taser turned weapon, no one dared get close.Whoever touched Aria would die, and no one dared to approach her at all.As for Landon, he still had his mask on as he stood behind
Chaos erupted at the auction. For all their pride and arrogance, the wealthy clients' expressions had twisted into pure panic the moment something went wrong.So, their first reaction was to seek a staff member."The power's unstable!" Dave spoke into the microphone, trying to project calm. "Everyone, stay calm. There's scheduled maintenance in town—it's just affecting the electricity. Nothing's wrong."He genuinely believed that. It was what he'd been told.But Aria knew better. The blackout wasn't random. It was a signal. Sam had tracked down the source of the call. With the exits sealed off, Aria had everything she needed to act.A faint smirk curled on her lips. Without hesitation, she grabbed Landon and swiftly took Aliya hostage. Her movements were sharp, practiced, so fast that no one around her even had time to react.Then came the needles.Aria flicked her wrist, sending a series of acupuncture needles flying. The rich guests closest to her froze in place, locked in stu
Tony's accusation stirred a ripple through the room, and it didn't escape Dave's attention. With a subtle flick of his wrist, he signaled to someone nearby.Aria caught the movement. Her fingers tensed, ready to slip free of the rope she had already loosened. But before she could act, she heard a smooth, composed voice glide through the air."I need her to boost my luck," the man said coolly. "I've done my research. She's the ideal bride for someone like me."Dave stopped in his tracks, and it seemed like he was telling someone else to verify what Landon had said."Sir, it checks out," one of the staff murmured after a brief consultation. "Mr. Crow's fate is complicated. The master said only a spiritual match could extend his life. Otherwise, he won't make it past his next birthday."Dave let out a low chuckle, visibly relaxing. "Well then, Mr. Crow, it seems you've come to the right place. Please—carry on, everyone."Aria listened in stunned silence. Landon hadn't lied. His life
Aria couldn't tear her eyes away from Dave.He was still quietly speaking to the man on the screen, their exchange shrouded in secrecy. No one nearby could hear what they were saying—but Aria could guess. It had to be a deal of some sort, something about her. Everything about Dave's posture, the glint in his eyes, told her this wasn't just business. It was personal.She glanced up at the clock again, nerves coiling in her chest. Something was wrong. Sam was taking longer than usual. That wasn't like him.The auction was nearing its close. They couldn't miss the chance to strike. Sasha, glowing with excitement, clapped her hands and declared, "Six million! It looks like no one else is bidding—congratulations to our newest member, Mr. Tiger—""Ten million dollars."The voice sliced clean through the noise, calm, clear, and cold.Everyone turned toward it.A man stood at the edge of the crowd, dressed in a sleek tuxedo dusted with black feathers, his mask intricate and dark.T